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Call for Reinforcing Europe’s Strength in Photonics

Description

This Innovation Action aims to strengthen Europe's industrial leadership in photonics by supporting the scale-up of advanced photonic technologies from research and prototyping to pre-commercial manufacturing. The call focuses on high-TRL activities that accelerate the industrial deployment of high-performance photonic platforms, reinforce European manufacturing capabilities, strengthen strategic autonomy in critical photonic components and systems, and build a resilient EU-based photonics supply chain.

Funding Amount

Maximum EU budget for the topic:

  • EUR 20 million

Expected EU contribution per project:

  • Approximately EUR 10 million, although proposals requesting different amounts may also be submitted if appropriately justified.

Submission Deadlines

  • Call launch: 7 July 2026
  • Submission deadline (Full Project Proposal): 16 September 2026, 17:00 Brussels time

This is a one-stage call.

Eligible Types of Businesses

The call is open to organisations eligible under the Chips Joint Undertaking and Horizon Europe rules, including:

  • SMEs
  • Large companies
  • Photonics manufacturers
  • Semiconductor companies
  • Universities
  • Research and technology organisations (RTOs)
  • Research institutes
  • Equipment manufacturers
  • Packaging and assembly providers
  • System integrators
  • End users from strategic sectors
  • Other eligible legal entities

Consortia are encouraged to represent the full photonics value chain, from materials and design through manufacturing, packaging and industrial deployment. SME participation is specifically encouraged.

Eligible Countries

Participation is limited to legal entities established in:

  • EU Member States;
  • EEA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway);
  • Horizon Europe Associated Countries;
  • OECD countries;
  • Mercosur countries;
  • countries that have signed a Digital Partnership or Trade and Technology Council agreement with the European Union.

Additional restrictions apply to organisations controlled by non-eligible countries. Entities directly or indirectly controlled by China (or Chinese legal entities) are not eligible to submit the required security guarantees and therefore cannot participate under the specific eligibility conditions.

Submission Conditions

  • Innovation Action (IA).
  • One-stage submission process.
  • Co-funded with National Funding Authorities (NFA).
  • Proposals should demonstrate a clear pathway to industrial deployment and Manufacturing Readiness Levels (MRL) 8–9.
  • Projects should include a credible industrial roadmap beyond the project lifetime.
  • Actions should contribute to technological sovereignty, resilient European supply chains and trustworthy electronics.
  • Maximum EU contribution to a single partner is limited to 30% of the total EU funding.
  • Standard Chips JU/Horizon Europe admissibility, evaluation and financial capacity requirements apply.

Target TRL

  • TRL 7–8 for industrial-grade demonstrators developed during the project.
  • Projects should also demonstrate a credible pathway towards Manufacturing Readiness Levels (MRL) 8–9, indicating readiness for full-scale commercial production.

Expected Outcome

Projects are expected to deliver industrial-grade demonstrators of advanced photonic technologies representative of future commercial products at TRL 7–8, together with several of the following outcomes:

  • pre-production manufacturing capabilities enabling transition from pilot-scale production to industrial deployment;
  • validated manufacturing workflows for wafer-scale production, advanced packaging and heterogeneous integration;
  • design-for-manufacturing approaches improving production yield, testability and time-to-market;
  • strengthened European photonics supply chains and reduced dependence on non-EU suppliers;
  • technology roadmaps supporting commercialisation, standardisation and industrial scaling beyond the project lifetime;
  • contributions to European strategic priorities including digital sovereignty and security of supply in photonics-enabled applications.

Scope

Projects should accelerate the industrialisation of advanced photonic technologies by addressing several of the following areas:

  • scaling wafer-level photonic manufacturing processes for key material platforms (e.g. silicon nitride, indium phosphide and gallium arsenide);
  • developing scalable, automated packaging and testing solutions compatible with co-packaged optics and advanced photonic-electronic integration;
  • integrating heterogeneous photonic materials and components, including lasers, modulators and detectors, using advanced packaging and assembly techniques;
  • optimising design, manufacturing processes and production equipment to improve manufacturability, yield, cost-effectiveness and repeatability;
  • demonstrating system-level functionality through application-driven use cases in strategic sectors such as artificial intelligence, telecommunications, sensing, mobility, healthcare and defence.

Projects should span the entire photonics value chain—from materials and design to manufacturing, packaging and end-use—and demonstrate a credible pathway towards Manufacturing Readiness Levels (MRL) 8–9. Synergies with EU objectives on technological sovereignty, resilient supply chains and trustworthy electronics are strongly encouraged. Participation of SMEs is encouraged.

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